rutile

American  

[roo-teel, -tahyl] / ˈru til, -taɪl /

noun

1. a common mineral, titanium dioxide, TiO 2 , usually reddish-brown in color with a brilliant metallic or adamantine luster, occurring in crystals: used to coat welding rods.

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rutile British  

/ ˈruːtaɪl /

noun

1. a black, yellowish, or reddish-brown mineral, found in igneous rocks, metamorphosed limestones, and quartz veins. It is a source of titanium. Composition: titanium dioxide. Formula: TiO 2 . Crystal structure: tetragonal

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rutile Scientific  

/ ro̅o̅′tēl′,-tīl′ /

1. A lustrous red, reddish-brown, or black tetragonal mineral that is an ore of titanium. Rutile usually occurs as prismatic crystals in other minerals, especially as dark needlelike crystals in quartz. Chemical formula: TiO ₂ .

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Etymology

Origin of rutile

1795–1805; < French < German Rutil < Latin rutilus red ¹

Example Sentences

Anand says Iluka’s 1Q total zircon, rutile, and synthetic rutile output misses expectations, falling roughly 23% below both consensus and MS estimates.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

Proposed alternatives include minerals such as calcium carbonate, alpha alumina, rutile and anatase titania, cubic zirconia, and even diamond.

From Science Daily • Oct. 21, 2025

Australia is the world’s top producer of lithium and rutile and the second-largest producer of zircon and rare earth elements.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 22, 2022

Rio Tinto's South African subsidiary Richards Bay Minerals extracts and refines heavy mineral sands and produces ilmenite, rutile, and zircon at its site in northern KwaZulu-Natal province.

From Reuters • Feb. 3, 2022

The rutile is invariably in small brown prisms; the kyanite forms bladed crystals, with perfect cleavage; felspar, if present, belongs to basic varieties rich in lime.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 10 "Echinoderma" to "Edward" by Various